Title:	Russian Roulette
	Author:	E. E. Smith
	Published:	2014, Phoenix International, Inc.
	No. of Pages:	205
	Cover Price:	$ 3.99 US

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Lexie (Alexis J. Smith – Discreet Inquiries) is back from solving a mystery in England in the third book of the series, Russian Roulette, but finds that her room at the boarding house where she previously lived, has been rented by a Russian ballerina seeking asylum in the US. Lexie thinks something about this girl is suspicious, and begins to investigate. Soon Lexie finds herself mixed up in a dangerous case, and luckily solves it fairly quickly. However, Harry Hawkins of Scotland Yard, has another job for her in England, so she travels there to investigate what seems to Harry to be a ridiculous case that must be investigated only for political reasons; the “victim” is a not-so-stable American woman who just happens to be married to an important Russian count who is living in exile in England. The countess claims that her dog has been stolen by Humphrey Bogart.

Like the rest of the books in the series, Russian Roulette takes place in the late 40s. At that time, Russia was considered a huge threat to the US, and most Americans were wary of anything to do with both Russia and Russians in general. The scenarios ring true, and it seems that the author has done her research. The characters are quite charming, and Smith does a good job, not only of making them seem like real people, but successfully instilling in them the mores of the time period to create a bit of nostalgia.

E.E. Smith writes novels that have plenty of suspense, but are very tame; they could definitely be considered the “cozies” of the suspense/thriller genre, since they don’t contain graphic sex, violence, or strong language. Russian Roulette is an easy, quick read, and will be enjoyed by suspense/thriller devotees of all ages.

Special thanks to P.J. Nunn of Breakthrough Promotions for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon: Russian Roulette